


That's How You Know

by MichellesBoh (michellesbohh)



Series: Spideychelle Week 2020 Ya'll [3]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Because it's Pride Month and I felt like it, Bisexual Liz Allan, Bisexual Michelle Jones, Enchanted AU, F/F, F/M, Spideychelle Week 2020, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24831295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/michellesbohh/pseuds/MichellesBoh
Summary: She scoffs, turns her head to face him fully, “You just came all the way here with no plan?”"Love was my plan. Love is always enough."Or that story where Peter's on journey from a magical kingdom to find a bride and yeah Michelle doesn't believe it either.Spideychelle Week Day 3: Fairy Tale RetellingSpideychelle Enchanted AU
Relationships: Liz Allan/Michelle Jones, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Series: Spideychelle Week 2020 Ya'll [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796143
Comments: 24
Kudos: 23
Collections: Spideychelle Week 2020





	That's How You Know

**Author's Note:**

> Woo Hoo! This is set to be my longest Spideychelle fic yet! Buckle up, we're just getting started. 
> 
> Warning: We mourn Morgan Stark's parents but in this story, we stan Morgan Stark.

“Ms. Jones?” Betty pokes her head into her office and Michelle _hmms_ in lieu of a greeting. She’s almost done with the invoices she needs to review before her meeting with finance tomorrow.

“It’s time to pick up Morgan.” She glances at her phone for the time and sees a few missed calls as well and curses, forgetting herself as Betty snickers. Hastily shoving papers and the like inside her bag, she rushes out into the main office area.

Betty’s already ahead of her with her coat and keys in hand, “Have you told her yet?”

Michelle already knows what she’s asking and she sighs, “I was- I mean I _am_ planning to. Tonight.”

She’s been putting off telling Morgan about her engagement plans for the better part of 2 months. It’s never seemed like the right time and she wants to do this right.

Morgan has been through so much for a little girl her age. Losing both of her parents at the same time was something Michelle could never imagine happening to her even now, let alone at age 6.

She’s convinced Morgan is a superhero.

Her girlfriend has been nothing but patient (they’d been together since before MJ got Morgan 3 years ago), but even Liz has her limits.

"I might be risking overstepping and you're welcome to fire me (though I know you won't), but are you sure about this?" She knows Betty really cares about her , but she's tired of having this conversation. 

"Yes, I'm sure. Liz and I are good together," MJ insists. "We understand each other. We know each other's strengths and weakness-"

"Sounds like you're building a bridge..." Betty has the good sense to look contrite beneath the heated stare Michelle is giving her. She sighs and MJ knows that means she's done asking. For today anyways.

"We're good. It's gonna be good. Morgan will be okay."

“Maybe include some ice cream. Soften the blow,” Betty offers, helping MJ slip her arms into her jacket.

“Delmar’s. She really likes the cheeseburgers there.”

“Well, I wish you the best of luck!” Betty gives her arms a last squeeze before stepping back.

“Thanks, Betty. You have a good night.” MJ heads to the end of the hall and slams the button before turning back and leveling a finger at Betty.

“Tell Ned he owes me...”

“Owes you what?”

Michelle smirks a little deviously as the elevator dings, “He’ll know.”

She waits until the doors shut to let out the breath she’d been holding, digging through her bag and shakily fingering the velvet box that’s been floating around in there for weeks.

_“It’ll be fine.”_

* * *

Michelle is shuffling Morgan into the back of the car in no time, listening with a soft smile as she prattles on about everything that happened to her in school today.

"Then Mrs. Moon told us that we all had chro-mo-somes," she sounded out before making a face. "And then Jasper _Thompson_ told everyone my chromosomes had _cooties!"_

Morgan looks up at her expectantly and MJ plays her part and gasps scandalously. "He _didn't_..."

Satisfied, Morgan nods her head up and down, "He, did...but I got him back," she finishes with an ominous air.

Michelle's about to ask for more information (though she can't say shes upset about Morgan potentially setting another generation of Flash Thompson straight), when her phone rings inside her bag.

She roots around for it until she finally pulls it out triumphantly. "Aha! Hey you," she softens. Morgan makes a gagging noise and Michelle pokes her knee until she stops.

"No, not yet. Yup, how about 8? Alright. Love you. Bye."

Michelle hangs up the call and puts her phone on silent. Morgan has taken to decidedly staring out the window and if it wasn't so frustrating to deal with, it'd be cute when she got like this.

"That was Liz on the phone."

Morgan looks at her for a beat before she sighs, "Yeah, I know. You got your _gooey face_ on." MJ laughs at that sharply. She never does know what this kid's gonna say.

"I do not have a _'gooey face'_ ," she defends and Morgan levels her with a skeptical brow raise. She's more and more like MJ everyday.

MJ isn't sure that's a good thing.

"Anyways, I wanted to talk to you, kid," she says, "because... I'm planning to ask Liz to marry me." Morgan's eyes go wide.

"What? Emmy..." It's a cross between a whine and a groan and Michelle knows she's in for it. "Where is she gonna live, then?"

MJ reaches over to brush back Morgan's bangs, "With us." Morgan groans for real this time, and MJ feels her heart constricting.

"Hey, c'mon. You like Liz right? We have fun," she soothes, "And when we get married we can have even more fun. Doesn't that sound good?"

Morgan eyes her, considering something before she crosses her arms,"I guess, but I think cheeseburgers sound good, too."

"Extortion? I see. Typical."

What happens between her getting the cheeseburgers and heading back to the car is really a blur for MJ.

Here's what she knows. She knows she does find Peter near Delmar's. She remembers he’s attempting to gain access to a dog training school nearby named “Beck & Call.”

_“Our results are so good, you’d think it was magic!”_

She remembers his sparkling eyes turning to her excitedly as he told her, “This establishment bears the name of my father’s most trusted advisor. Surely there must be someone here who can connect me to him?”

The rest of it? She couldn't tell you. All she knows is...well, he charms her. She brings him home despite all common sense. _ALL,_ but he has honest eyes and she’s only human.

Morgan is thrilled when she meets Peter.

Giddy is a better word, bouncing excitedly as Michelle slips into the center seat and Peter slides into the back of the car after her. He’s looking around a bit warily, eyeing the floors and ceiling in what can only be described as awe.

“He’s cuuute, Emmy,” Morgan whispers around a giggle, but they’re in a car so there was really no point in bothering.

The street lights flash across his face and MJ can see that Peter has flushed an attractive pink.

Michelle does have to work pretty hard not to follow that flush down and between the open plains of his half unbuttoned shirt. Do people seriously still dress like this?

Almost as if he can sense her struggle, he smiles and stares wistfully out the window as the car navigates the street.

* * *

“Emmy, can I show Peter my toys?” Morgan begs the second they’re through the front door.

Peter’s no better as he turns suddenly with a wide grin, “Yes, please! I would very much like to see these toys she speaks of.”

Morgan’s already got a grip on Peter’s hand and they’re both eyeing her expectantly like puppies.

“You can choose two toys -TWO- out of your toy bin to show Peter, alright?” she concedes and Morgan squeals and starts to tug Peter towards her playroom.

“Buuuuut,” Michelle continues holding onto the wall for balance as she slips off her heels. A piece of her hair falls across her face and she puckers her lips in an attempt to blow it out of the way.

Morgan stops, shoulders hunched in a way the MJ knows means she’s been caught.

“Peter stays out here in the living room,” she declares, daring him to resist as he meets her gaze head on.

“But Emmy-” Morgan’s little body vibrates as she musters up what Michelle is sure would’ve been a very rousing argument, but it’s late and MJ is tired.

“No buts here, kid. Bring your toys out here or we go to bed without show and tell. And get your jam-jams on while you're back there.”

Morgan pouts at her but one raised eyebrow and she’s scurrying away leaving Peter and MJ in the hall.

Peter’s looking at her like she’s hung the moon for him and Michelle fidgets until he finally turns his attention away, down to his shoes.

“I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble, Miss Emmy. You’ve been so kind to me as it is.” He’s picking absentmindedly at a loose thread on his trousers.

“It’s Michelle, by the way. Only Morgan calls me Emmy,” she divulges and when he looks back up at her through his lashes, her breath catches.

She offers a closed lip smile and a shrug in acknowledgement but doesn’t speak as Morgan comes rushing back down the hall, wasting no time in dragging Peter over to the living room floor.

“Look at these ones! Daddy gave me this one, but Emmy got me this one to match and…”

Michelle kind of tunes out Morgan’s excitement (it’s late. She already said) as she watches the two of them. Peter’s rapt as Morgan goes through each explanation and again, as if he can sense her, he smiles, glancing up at her quickly.

Well, now she feels caught and embarrassed for staring and Michelle can feel the blush blooming as she busies herself with hanging up her coat. She’s getting Morgan’s shoes out of the front hall and always keeping an eye on the two of them.

Once she’s done she heads back to the living room where Morgan’s in the middle of explaining to Peter how her walkie talkies work.

“Alright, Morganza. Bed.”

“Awww, but I’m n-” a yawn so big it shakes her creeps out before Morgan finishes,”I’m not even tired, yet.”

“Uh, huh. Nice try. Go brush your teeth.”

“Can I-”

“No bedtime story today. You’ve had enough adventures for a week.” Michelle ruffles Morgan’s hair as she shuffles off grabbing hold of her round the middle at the last minute and blowing a raspberry into her cheek.

“Hey! Lemme go,” Morgan squeals, wriggling until Michelle puts her down and she scampers away. In the safety of the bathroom doorway she sticks out her tongue, giggling when Michelle does the same.

Michelle had never considered becoming a mother so young. She’s not sure she had ever planned to at all, but she’d loved being Morgan’s nanny in college, and when they gave her the news at the Starks’ funeral, they also gave her the chance to say no.

Tony and Pepper had included a clause to send Morgan upstate with other relatives if she refused custody. Michelle had been their first choice, but obviously not their only and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t considered it.

Picking up a stray stuffed animal, she thinks about how everyday she wakes up and gets to see Morgan and she knows she did the best thing for both of them.

“Should I just leave these here or would you like me to return them to their appointed homes?”

Oh. She’d forgotten he was here.

Glancing down the hall to where she can see the light in the bathroom now off, she shakes her head crossing to collapse onto the sofa, “No, we’ll just leave it for tonight. It’s been a long day.”

“Yeah, for me too. I’ve traveled so far and I feel like my quest is a steep one,” he tells her, placing the toys back onto the floor, almost reverently.

“Oh? You’re on a...quest, was it?”

Peter lights up at that, taking the few steps to join her on the couch, settling in closer to Michelle than she thinks a normal stranger would. She can feel the heat of his thigh just barely brushing her own.

It’s not distracting, but it’s not _not_ distracting.

“Yes! I’m here to find my bride and return back to my kingdom with her!”

“So you’re sticking with the ‘lost prince’ story…”

“Well, what other story would you have me tell if not the true one? You said no bedtime tales tonight, right?” he asks her, leaning back on the couch and side eyeing her with a cheesy grin.

She scoffs, turns her head to face him fully, “You just came all the way here with no plan?”

Peter takes his time answering, eyes closed and brow furrowed. Michelle seizes the opportunity to study his features. She takes in his one floofy eyebrow, the sharp cut of his jaw, the curve of his lips.

Michelle isn’t prepared for the way her stomach flips when he chuckles softly or for the way she feels when his breath tickles her cheeks as he turns to face her.

When Peter opens his eyes, they’re more intense and she shudders in a breath that she holds. He seems sure of something; something she’s not privy to, a smaller more private smile on his face.

“Love was my plan. Love is always enough.”

Michelle exhales quickly, feeling both dizzy and fully aware of herself at the same time. Her cheeks are warm and her heart feels like it’s buzzing.

Peter seems content to let his words hang in the air until he reaches his left hand up and over to gently take hold of Michelle’s hand.

“It was too good of you to open your home to me. Even just for a brief respite,” he tells her, voice barely above a whisper. His thumb runs lightly across her knuckles before holding firmer and lifting it to his face.

He presses forward an inch, kissing the back of her hand with soft lips and lingering a beat before pulling back. His eyes never leave hers as he asks, “How can I ever repay you for your generosity?”

Michelle swallows thickly, mouth suddenly dry as the steadiness of Peter’s gaze rattles her.

“I-um...it’s okay. I don’t need anything I...” she trails away when he let’s go of her hand and leans back abruptly. It’s not another second when Morgan bounds up, climbing into Michelle’s lap, breaking the spell.

“Peter’s still here!? Is he staying Emmy?” Morgan looks away from Peter and up to Michelle's face and tilts her head, "You've got your gooey face on again."

That seems to really wake Michelle up, “Ah, yes the simple question of where Peter is going to sleep. Spoiler Alert: It’s not here. Do you need to call someone? I can get a car to take you anywhere you’d like.”

She winces at that. MJ hates how pretentious that sounded, but it doesn’t seem like Peter notices.

“I had not realized how weary I had grown during my long travels,” he yawns.

Peter turns back to face them, blinking slowly and Michelle can see his eyelashes fluttering against his cheek, “I’ve no need of a car. I haven’t a friend for miles. I wouldn’t even know where to tell it to take me.”

Morgan frowns at that, “Emmy we have to help,” she whines, snuggling into Michelle’s neck.

“Mmkay, but you can help by going and getting to bed. I’ll let you sleep in my big girl bed tonight if you go right now.”

She perks up at that and scrambles down, “Deal!” And she’s gone again just as quickly as before.

Michelle clears her throat, rolling her eyes up in annoyance at herself for what she’s about to say.

“If you just need the night,” she offers vaguely, waiting to see his reaction. Peter looks confused but then he’s grinning at her again and Michelle can’t even deny that she likes the fact that she made it happen.

 _What is wrong with me, today?_ she wonders.

“Thank you, Michelle.” Peter lies back on the sofa, settling in deeper as the exhaustion really sinks in.

For a moment she just watches him, and after a few seconds she decides something.

“It’s MJ. That’s my-” she’s flustered but presses on, her gaze fixed rigidly on her fidgeting hands, “Um-my friends call me, MJ.”

When he doesn’t respond right away, she can’t avoid looking into his eyes any longer.

Peter’s got these gentle but piercing eyes like Michelle’s never seen, and it feels like he can see right through her. It’s unsettling, to say the least.

“Okay, MJ.”

* * *

Michelle is woken up the next morning before her alarm (rude) because Morgan is well... shaking her awake.

“Emmy. _Emmy,_ ” you have to come see!”

“What, what’s wrong? Are you okay? What happened?”

“You just have to see this…” And with that Morgan hops down and bounds back out of the room.

When Michelle finally drags herself out of bed, she finds several pieces of fabric littering the hallway floor until she reaches the den where she finds the source.

The blanket and pillowcase she’d laid out the night before are in tatters. _Peter._ Michelle rolls her eyes, now noticing that she can hear the shower going.

She tells Morgan to start helping to pick up the scraps while she goes to find Peter. Morgan sighs but does what she’s told until the room is mostly back to normal.

Michelle presses her ear to the bathroom door briefly and hears Peter humming inside. When she finally knocks, Peter tells her to come in immediately.

She opens the door and steps in just as he’s wrapping a towel ( _her towel_ ) around his hips.

Well, fuck.

Morgan giggles as she scoops up all the little scraps, singing a little to herself until she hears a light tapping at the door. Her smile falls after she grabs the stool next to the door and hops up to peek through the peephole and sees Liz standing on the other side.

Jumping down, she opens the door slowly until there’s enough space for Liz to step in.

“Hey, girly!”

“Hey, Liz,” she says warily, darting her eyes down the hall to where she knows MJ is talking to Peter.

“What do you say? You ready to kick it?”

Morgan frowns up at her, “Kick _what_?”

Liz laughs it off because the deadpan delivery reminded her so much of Michelle. She's walking a little deeper into the apartment looking around, as Morgan pushes the heavy door shut.

She sweeps over the space with a scrutinizing eye before turning back to Morgan.

“What the heck happened here? Wait,” she checks her watch, “Why are you still in your PJ’s huh, honey?”

Morgan smirks knowingly as she tells her, “It’s been pretty busy around here.”

“Oh, okay,” Liz nods in mock seriousness, “Well go on and get dressed, I’m just gonna use the bathroom and then we’ll get you to school, yeah?”

Meanwhile…

The sunlight is streaming into the bathroom and MJ can see every single water droplet glistening on his, oh. He’s got abs. And, okay. Michelle has seen abs before, but this...this is something else.

And she’s staring.

“Good Morning!”

She snaps out of her lust stupor to finally meet his eyes. Never one for pleasantries, “What happened to the blankets??”

Peter has the good decency to look sheepish when he tells her that sometimes his “hands get sticky.”

There’s a lot to unpack there, but she doesn't get the chance. because Peter seems to be thrumming with excitement over his next question.

“Do tell me, what is the meaning of this room? Where does the water come from?”

His hair is damp and he’s got one rogue curl flopped against his forehead. And he’s smiling at her, open and curious, but also a little like he knows something.

“From the pipes,” she tells him, crossing the room to turn off the still running shower. Michelle steps around him in a wide berth as he grabs another towel to ruffle at his hair.

He’s really not helping.

“And where do the pipes get it?”

“Uh...I don’t know...” she says distractedly. She huffs as her fingers slip over the cool knobs a couple times before she finally manages to twist them off. “..from wherever the pipes get it, I guess.”

It goes quiet after that, the two of them observing each other in silence.

“Oh…” he says. There seems to have been a decision made because Peter roves his gaze from her tousled sleep messy hair, to her flimsy tank top and shorts, down the long length of her legs with unrestrained interest.

And Michelle might’ve objected to his leering if she wasn't in the middle of her own journey down the slope of Peter’s neck, to his arms, those abs again, and to his strong calves.

Peter takes a step toward her and then another until he’s close enough that she can see flecks of gold shining in his brown eyes. “...well it is remarkable.”

The bathroom door is slightly ajar and MJ blames the heat in her cheeks on the lingering steam from his shower. She distantly hears shuffling out in the hallway, but dismisses it, assuming Morgan’s just finishing up.

“Yeah, modern plumbing…” she says, feeling lightheaded when their hands bump together. Peter doesn’t come any further, but his eyes are still coming closer and Michelle realizes she’s taken a step too.

Michelle likes to think that she knows what she would’ve done in that next second. She likes to think she would’ve stepped back and put some space between her and Peter, taken a deep breath and walked away.

“...it’s a real gamechanger,” she whispers, swallowing when she sees Peter’s eyes drift down to her lips.

Unfortunately, a third voice enters the room and the what ifs don’t matter anymore.

“I’ll say it is.”

Shit. Liz.

“LIZ! Hey, babe,” MJ says, backing a respectable distance away from Peter though it’s pointless as he’s still in a towel.

It definitely doesn’t look good.

Peter seems oblivious to the tension and steps forward, waving, “Oh, hello!”

“Who is this?” Liz scowls just a little before turning back to Michelle, taking in her similar state of undress.

“This is nothing-” Is all Michelle manages before Peter interrupts her.

“I’m on a quest! I’ve come here to find my bride and return her to my kingdom so that I may rule,” he explains with the same gusto he’d shown Michelle the night before.

Liz turns on her heel, heading towards the front door, “His _bride_ , huh? Wonder why he’d think he could find that here…” The heavy sarcasm she hears has MJ panicking.

She's right behind her, reaching out to grab Liz's wrist, “Hey no. No. It’s not like that! Peter was lost and I was just trying to help him.”

She’s pleading. She knows it and Liz continues to regard her with the same unimpressed stare.

“Help him find what? The shower?”

“The shower is wonderful, Liz. I must insist that you try it,” Peter inserts and Michelle whirls on him with a glare so menacing he actually does shrink back.

“That’s enough.” She thinks one of her eyes might even be twitching. Liz takes the moment of distraction to reach for the door, but then she thinks better of it.

“Wait, Liz. Let’s at least talk about this!”

“About what?,” she scoffs. “You know, MJ. I think I’ve been really patient with everything. I never stay over because you wanted clear boundaries for Morgan,” Liz rants, pacing the living room floor because she can’t keep still.

Michelle starts to argue, but Liz isn’t finished. “I said, 'Wow, she’s sensitive and caring. She’ll make a great mom.’ I had no idea this was really about _crowd control_!”

She’s back heading for the door with Michelle right after her still, “So we can talk later then?”

Morgan and Peter exchange a look that says, “Yikes,” more than anything else when Liz whirls around at the last minute so that she and Michelle are nose to nose.

MJ can see the hurt in her eyes, the embarrassment that she must be feeling, the betrayal. She can see perfectly when the wall goes up and with that, Liz yanks the door open.

“Don’t bet on it.” And then she’s gone.

Michelle turns around, leaning her head back against the door with a soft _thud._

“Well, she’s just a delight, isn’t she?” MJ knows he's being sincere, but she cuts her eyes at him anyway and Peter clears his throat. He wrings his hands together with a forced laugh.

Michelle raises a hand to tug at her hair in frustration and sighs, “Morgan, just get ready for school.”

**Author's Note:**

> I never thought I'd write a story with Morgan, but the daughter's name was already "Morgan," so it was really out of my hands. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Come find me on tumblr at Michellesbohh!


End file.
